The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste (Hardcover)

Staff Reviews

The untold story behind an emerging “new” wine culture in California. Meet the winemakers who share an enthusiasm for Old World sensibilities while championing new varietals and the importance of terroir. With beautiful photography, behind-the-scenes revelations and a region-by-region tour, this is THE book on California wine. (Amanda)

Description

A comprehensive guide to the must-know wines and producers of California's "new generation," and the story of the iconoclastic young winemakers who have changed the face of California viniculture in recent years.

The New California Wine is the untold story of the California wine industry: the young, innovative producers who are rewriting the rules of contemporary winemaking; their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir; and the continuing battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of its recent past. Jon Bonné writes from the front lines of the California wine revolution, where he has access to the stories, philosophies, and techniques of top producers.

In this groundbreaking debut, Bonné paints an unflinching portrait of the current state of the industry: its strengths and shortcomings, its essential wines and those not worth pursuing. Lush full-color photographs, as well as a region-by-region tour of some of California’s lesser-known growing areas, reveal the people and places behind the bottles. Finally, a comprehensive purchasing reference lists all the must-know producers and their best wines, making The New California Wine an essential resource for finding and buying the very best the state has to offer.

About the Author

JON BONNÉ is the wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, responsible for the newspaper’s coverage of wine and spirits, as well as the annual “Top 100 Wines” list. His work has earned awards from the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists. He lives in San Francisco.

Praise for The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste…

"Bonné's intelligence and knowledge are on full display in this book. There is no better guide to delicious wines from California."—Edward Behr, The Art of Eating

“The New California Wine delivers some of the most insightful wine writing you’ll read anywhere. This is the real skinny on cutting-edge California wine from somebody who’s on the ground, knows his stuff, and could care less about offending the Establishment.” —Matt Kramer, author and columnist for Wine Spectator

“Jon Bonné brings a clear-eyed perspective to California; this book offers a fresh look at a mature wine culture heading in surprising directions. Its new leaders are all here; its old scams get some brusque treatment, too. Essential, pithy, easy reading.” —Hugh Johnson, author of The World Atlas of Wine

“An impeccably timed, beautifully written book chronicling a profound generational shift in California winemaking. Required reading for any sommelier, retailer, or consumer who’s left California behind for other pastures—it’s time to come home!” —David Lynch, owner/wine director of St. Vincent Tavern and Wine Merchant and author of Vino Italiano

“An incisive assessment of the California wine industry: its current state, fascinating history, and future in the hands of a new generation of winemakers.” —Paul Draper, winemaker at Ridge Vineyards

“There are few greater authorities on California wine than Jon Bonné. Dispassionate but engaged, enthused but objective, Bonné brings a forensic rigor to his work. But The New California Wine is no textbook, in spite of its comprehensive scope. Instead, Bonné’s narrative moves at a rattling pace, delving into California’s colorful past and vividly describing its future. A must-read for anyone who is serious about the state’s wine.” —Guy Woodward, former editor at Decanter

“A gutsy, inspiring book driven by the same ideals as the movement it has so gracefully defined. Not only has Bonné delivered one of the most important and relevant books on California wine ever written, he’s also redefined our notions of the wine book. The New California Wine is at once a manifesto, a guidebook, and a narrative peek inside the motives and methods of California’s new avant-garde.” —Talia Baiocchi, editor-in-chief, Punch

"Big, jammy, oaky, buttery? Guess again. Bonné, the San Francisco Chronicle's wine editor, turns expectations of California wines on their head, profiling new producers, growing areas, and approaches to winemaking that are yielding all sorts of exciting bottles. Brisk, elegant, steely and most of all, nuanced—with this seminal account of a vinicultural revolution, these are the adjectives with which we will now be describing the Golden State's wines." —Betsy Andrews, www.saveur.com

"As wine editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Bonné has been positioned perfectly to observe the profound pendulum swing in style and attitude that has occurred among California winemakers over the last decade. While “revolution” may be too strong a term if simply tracking public tastes and sales figures, it nonetheless captures a sense of mental liberation among winemakers and consumers freed from a stultifying, dominant style that Mr. Bonné labels "Big Flavor.'"—Eric Asimov, www.nytimes.com

"Jon Bonné's new book is a wonderful, engaging read with a cast of characters who think outside the box, care about sustainability and have a strong curiosity and work ethic." —www.latimes.com

“A Favorite Cookbook of 2013”—KCRW

"Beyond its strong storytelling, Bonne's book offers an history lesson and a practical guide to the new stars, from Paso Robles syrah to a "neo-Friulian" white blend from Napa's Massican that "sums up all the changes from California." Not surprisingly, it contains no chardonnay."—The Philadelphia Inquirer